Trials Help You Grow

So, right now I am wishing that Chris never put up the post about being pregnant.

I had my first doctor's appointment last week and found out that there was no baby. My body thought I was pregnant but the baby never formed. I had a D&C on Monday to care of the placenta and am feeling really good. It is nice not to be nauseous anymore and to be able to enjoy food again. I am still waiting for Chris to take me out for steak.

I am grateful for all the things to learn when going through a trial. I learned more than ever how much I need family. They had to do a lot of the care for Ella this month and this also helped Ella gain a close relationship with them. I also learned that sometimes there seems to be no reason for going through a trial except to gain more understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is amazing what He went through for me and how He helps me though each hard moment. I also learned again and again that it is His will be done and not mine. Hopefully now I am more meek and submissive. And maybe more than anything I learned to be more grateful for Ella than I would have ever been. I hold her a little closer now and appreciate each new thing she learns a little more. Like tonight for example, she said her first prayer. I couldn't understand a single word except "A-Me"(Amen) but there she was folding her arms and bowing her head while babbling on a on. What a special moment.

Great Expectations

Life has been crazy out here in the Midwest. I've been working a lot of hours recently, having picked up a contract with Electronic Arts (to develop the web site for their new game: MySims Kingdom), and last Saturday I took the GMAT. On top of this, we recently found out that Kira is pregnant and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second child.

Kira' pregnancy has been pretty rough, but we're lucky to have a strong support group. It's been a lot easier for us financially this time as well, as our insurance covers prescription drugs (unlike BYU's health plan). We have our first appointment with the mid-wife this Thursday and will post pictures of the ultrasound if we get any. The little one won't be much larger than a tadpole, but it's always amazing to see life in all its stages.

Ella is doing well and I sat with her through nursery last week. She seemed to really enjoy playing with all the kids (except that one boy who kept taking all her toys...) and its gratifying to see her grow and learn. She moves her hands to "Wheels on the Bus" and interacts with some other kiddie songs. We'll try to get together a little movie so you can all bask in her cuteness. :)

Petting Zoo at the Fair

Ella loved the petting zoo. They had a lot of baby animals. She loved the baby pigs and would reach in their pin, touch their ears and say "flop flop". She also liked the little goats. They liked her as well because she had been eating chips. The goats licked all the crumbs off her hands and then moved on.
Ella's favorite part was the little Kangaroo. It would prop itself up on the bars and Ella would talk to it in some language I couldn't understand. Then the kangaroo would bend over and eat some straw so Ella would bend over too. By the end Ella was shaking the bars to let the Kangaroo out and when that didn't work she started climbing the fence. We had to peel her off the bars. It was so much fun!

Fair Parade

(Notice the necklace, she loves it)

On Saturday we went to the Fair Parade with Ella. It was fun to see my high school band and get candy. Ella liked The Shriners driving around in their little cars. She also liked the horses but most of the parade she just sat and ate her goldfish. I was glad it was free.

Busy Weekend

It was quite the week for us. My sister Jami and her family came into town. It was fun to see them and have all the kids play together. I wish it would have lasted longer.
The kids had the best time playing outside in the sandbox and in the sprinkler. Though, Ella didn't like the water on her clothes or the sand on her shoes. She is such a girl. Check out the fun:



We also went to a baseball game in Toledo with my sister Rayna and her family. It was awesome because we had a free dinner before the game and had free ice cream and popcorn during the game. This was all provided by my brother-in-law, Jeff's, work. We were glad we got invited. Ella really liked the popcorn as you can see from the picture.

Children's Garden

We took Ella to the Children's Garden on Saturday. It was so cute. They had a lot of fun little things for kids to explore and Ella really enjoyed it. She walked around the whole garden holding my hands and had a blast.

Also recently Ella began taking her first steps. She does up to four at a time but gets so excited about it that she falls and giggles. It is so fun!

Here are some pictures of her at the Garden:


(Leap Frog Lane)

(Gumball Alley)

Favorite Reading Spot

We are all settled in here in Ohio. We are currently living with my brother Jared to save money for a down payment on a house. Ella has adjusted really well, maybe better than us. She loves her twin cousins. She calls them babies even though they are older than her and follows them around everywhere.
She is also really happy to have a room of her own and has already found her favorite spot to sit and read. It is so cute how much she likes looking at a book.